Shower bath



Och a, 1931. H, woo wmE 1,826,336

SHOWER BATH Filed Sept. 25, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 E a Melville momeq o.

Patented Oct. 6 19 31 UNITED; STATES PATENT; OFFICE F,

, H WARD cLAYroN wootwmn, or FAYETTEVIILLE, wnsr 'vrnemrnj SHOWER BATH a licatio filed September 2 5, 1930. Serial No. 484,445.

This invention aims to provide a novel means whereby the water in arshower bath may be used repeatedly, a shower bath thus being available in places where water is hard to get. The invention aims to proyide novel means for controlling theflow of water, to

provide novel means for raising and lowering the pump so that the tank can betaken out an'dinserted, to supply novel means for controlling .the flow of waste water from the f Figure 1 shows inside elevation, a device constructed in accordance with the invention, arts being broken away; a

t Figure 2 is atransverse section on the line 2 2 of Figure 1-; q

Figure 8 is a fragmental vertical section Figure 4 is a fragmental vertical section, showing the latch mechanism whereby the top of the cabinet is held elevated;

Figure 5 is a vertical section takenthrough the cabinet from side to side;

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken through the cabinet from front toback;

Figure 7 isa-sectio'nal view showing a slight modification; r

In carrying out the inventiomthere is provided a cabinet, including aboX-like base 1, which may, bemounted on jcastors 102. The

base l may be" made of 'any desired'materials of construction,jwire netting being used m.

places, as shown'in thedrawings. It is not necessary to describe the construction of the baseyl in great, detail, because manufacturers ma desire to make it in accordance with their particulartastes and are atliberty'to' do so.

i "The base 1 has hinged front doors 2 which i so that when the batheropens the doors,he

- the bottom of the base 1 is a cleat 16 (Figure in a way which will be manifest whenFig .parts of the device. It may benoted,how.-

swing; open horizontally through an arc. of. 180 degrees, although if desired, 'theyfmay be hinged to swing through an arc of 270 degrees, against the sides of the body, the sufiiX fa being employed to designate the parts n Figure 7, wherein this minor modification is shown; Onthe rear of the base-1 there is' a hinged door 3which opens upwardly, as indicated in Figure 6, the door 3 serving to. give accessto certain working parts of the, machine. 1 r V The cabinet 1 comprises a ve'rtically ad;

. justable top frame 4170 which is secured by,

any suitable means 5, adepending, tubular, flexible curtain 6 that extends downwardly into the base 1. The curtain 6 is divided longitudinally on its front side, as shown at y 7 m Figure 5,'adjacent to the front doors 2,

may step within the curtain 6., The curtain 6 .is secured at lits lower end as shown at" 8, to the basel of the cabinet. f V r j" 'The top frame 1 has dependingposts 9' mounted to slide in guides; 10 .onthe base'l. i n The posts carry ,(Figure 4;)ispring-pressed latches 11, adapted to'engage over the-upper end of the .base 1, to hold the top frame 4. elevated. I I

A horizontal partition 12 extends across the 1' .base 1 of the cabinet, near to the .lower end .80 I of "the base. On the partition 12, at the rear of the base, is mounted'a'box-likeflcasing 14.

There is an opening-15 in the bottom of the casing 1 1, as Figures 2 and 5 will show. On a 6). A tank 17 inthe form of'a drawer, slides on the bottom of the basel, between the cleat 16 'andthe rear of the base. .The drawer or tank 17 can be'withdrawn endwise, 4

ures 5 and 1 are compared. V I 7 The cabinet. may be lined with metal, or be constructed of metal, and therefore,it isf unnecessaryto describeall of the, structural,

ever, that a pan18 rests on the partition 12,...

behind the front doors 2 and in front of fthe. l casing '14 which houses the machinery. The pan 18 and the space above it ,form abath-Q ing place.- The partitio'n 12 containsa pipe Yes 7 which forms an outlet 19 for the pan 18, the said outlet discharging downwardly into the tank 17.

The box-like casing 14 is provided on its front and on its back with vertical guides 20 (Figures 6 and 2) in which a slide or carrier 21 is mounted for vertical reciprocation at the will of the operator. A pump 22, preferably a centrifugal pump, is secured to the lower end of the carrier 21 and is disposed within the drawer ortank 17, The pump 22 includes a vertical shaft 23 journaled for rotation in the slide or carrier 21., A beveled gear 24 is secured to the upper end of the shaft 23, and is adapted tomesh with a beveled pinion 25 on the shaft of an electrical motor26, the motor 26 being mounted on the partition or platform 12 within the casing 14.

The numeral 27' marks a drip trough slidable in slots 28'f1'om the forward. wall of the casing 14, and in the rear wall of the base 1 of the cabinet, the drip trough 27 discharging into the pan 18, as is shown best in Figure 3 of the drawings. A yoke 29 is secured to the drip trough 27 and is connected to a plunger 30 mounted to slide horizontally in one side wall of the base 1 of the cabinet, the plunger 30 being'accessible from without the cabinet, as is clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2. Intermediate its ends, the plunger 30 has a transverse seat 31 shown in Figure 5 of the drawings,

The pump 22 takes water out of the tank .17 and forces the water through a flexible tube 32 extended downwardly with respect to the slide 21 and connected to the pump 22. At its upper end, the flexible tube 32 discharges into a spray head 33 mounted to slide for adjustment, at the will of an operator, in a track 101 in the top of the cabinet, this adjustment enabling the bather to shift the spray head 33 with respect to his person. The spray head 33 discharges downwar-dly within the curtain 6, into the pan 18,

" the water flowing from the pan 18 into the tank 17 through the outlet 19 that is shown in Figure 6.

In order that the tank 17 may be pulled out and emptied, it is necessary to raise the slide 21 and the pump 22 from the position shown inFigure 5. This is done through the instrumentality of an upwardly extended rack34 on. the slide 21, a pinion 35 (Figure 7 5) meshing with the rack 34, the pinion 35 being mounted on a transverse shaft 36 (Figure 5) supported for rotation on top of the casing 14. On the outer end of the shaft 36 there is an operating member such as a crank 37, (Figure 1) In order to hold down the slide or carrier 21in the position of Figure 5, there is pro one side of the rack 34, as shown in Figure 5. The retainer 38 reciprocates in a guide 39 carried by the inner wall of the casing 14. The retainer 38 has spaced fingers 40, which, cooperating with the guide 39, limit the horizontal movement of the retainer 38 as it is slid inwardlyand outwardly, Figure 1 showing that the outer end of the retainer 38 is accessible from without of the cabinet. The circuit for the electric motor 26 is marked by the numeral 41, current being derived through a plug 42 (Figure 1) in the usual way. In the circuit 41 is interposed a switch 43 (Figure 5) including a push button 44 or the like (Figure 3) mounted in the forward wall of the casing 14, and capable of being reached readily by a person who is standing in the pan 18and taking a bath.

Figure 1 shows that the drawer or tank 17 is held closed by a locking device 45, preferably a button that is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the base 1 of the cabinet. The button 45 is adapted to bear against a first lever 46 which is fulcrumed at one end as shown at 47, on the base 1 of the cabinet. The lever 46 has a U-shaped keeper 48 extended around the plunger 30 and adapted to engage in the seat 31 (Figure of the plunger, when the plunger is pulled outwardly, it being recalled at this point that the plunger is the part by which the drip pan or trough. 27 is slid forwardly. The

lever 46 is pressed downwardly at its free end by means of a spring 49 mounted on a rod 50 carried by brackets 51 on the base 1 of the cabinet. The upper most bracket 51 forms an abutment for the upper end of the,

fulcrumed at one end as shown at 55 in Figs ure 3, 011 the forward wall of the-casing-14. The lever 54 has outstanding projections 56' with which are engaged upwardly extended spring fingers 57 connected to the upper end: of a stopper slidable in a guide 59 on the front wall of the casing 14. The stopper'58is adapted to serve-as a closure (Figure-6) for the outlet 19 of the pan or bathing place-18.

IVhen it is-desired to use the device, the top fra1ne,4 is pushed upwardly, the posts 9 sliding upwardly in the guides 10 until the latches 11 engage with the upper end of the base 1, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. This operation raises the tubular curtain 4 and causes the cabinet to be of such height that a person canv step into it readily to take a bath.

'motor 26 into operation by manipulating the I switch button 44 of Figures 6 and 3. The

motor 26 drives the pump 22 by way of the intermeshing beveled pinions 25 and 24 of Figure 5, and the pump shaft 23 of Figure 6. The pump 22 takes water out of the tank 17 and forces the water through the flexible tube 32 of Figure 5, the water being discharged downwardly upon the bather through the spray head 33. The water is received in the pan 18 of Figure 6, in which the bather stands, and the water runs back into the tank or drawer 17 byway of the outlet 19. If the operator wishes to permit the water to rise somewhat in the pan 18, for a foot bath or a sponge bath, he can pinch together the spring fingers 57 of Figure 3 so that they are disengaged from the projections 56 on the lever 54 and then shove down the stopper 58 until it closes the outlet 19, it being possible at any time, tostop the flow of water from the spray head 33 by opening the circuit 41 of the pump motor 26, through the instrumentality of the switch button 44 of Figures 6 and 3.

Suppose that the stopper 58 of Figure 3 is connected to the lever 54, as shown in Figure 3, and that the operator wishes to take out and empty the tank drawer 17. Before the tank drawer 17' can be removed, the button 45 of Figure 1 has to be turned to a horizontal position, so that it no longer engages with the outer end of the tank drawer 17. When the button 45 is turned to a horizontal position, as aforesaid, the lever 46 can move downwardly under the action of the spring 49. Motion is imparted'to the lever 54 of Figure 3, by way ofthe' link 53, and as the lever 54 swings downwardly, it moves the stopper 58 into closed position with respect to the outlet 19 for the pan 18 (Figure 6) Thus it happens that it is impossible for water to dribble out of the pan 18 after the tank 17 has been removed, and a wetting and a soiling of the cabinet is avoided accordingly.

1 In order to provide for the removal of the tank 17, it is necessary to raise the pump 22 out of the position shown in Figure 5. This is accomplished by turning the crank 37 of Figure 1, rotation being imparted to the shaft 36 of Figure 5, and the pinion of Figure 6 cooperating with the rack 34,to raise the slide in the guides 20, till the pump 22 is raised, the beveled gear 24 that is carried by the slide, moves out of mesh with the motor pinion 25, and when the slide 21 is lowered to the position of Figure 5, by means of the crank 37, then the beveled pinion 25 is brought back again into mesh with the beveled gear 24, thereby tocouple the motor 26 operatively to the pump 22. Previous to the raising of the slide 21 from the position of Figure 5, it is necessary to pull out the plunger or retainer 38 until the inner most finger engages the guide 39; After the slide 21 has been lowered to the-position of Figure"5;1the retainer 38 can be pushed in again, until it overhangs'the keeper on the rac34.

* After the operator has raised the" slide 21 I and the pump22', as hereinbefore explained,

and previous to the removal of the tank 17 the drip trough 27is slid to theleft in Figure 5 by means of theyoke 29 andthe'plunger WVhen the plunger has moved far enough, to the left, in Figure 5, the seat 31 of the plunger engages with the-keeper 48 of Figure 1, and the plunger 30 is preventedfrom moving tothe right in Figure 5 until the operator swings the lever46 upwardly a little, and releases'the keeper 48 from the plunger 30. The lever 46 has two functions. a First, along with the keeper 48, it constitutes 'alatching means for the drip trough 27: and's'econdly, it serves as an actuating means for thelever 54 of Fi'gure 3 and the stopper58. Because the drip trough 27 movesto the left, after the pump 22 is raised, the drip troughis disposed under the outlet end of the pump 22,

and any water which may ,fiowfrom-the" pump will be caught by the drip trough 27 and be carried back into the pan '18, it being recalled that, at this time, the stopper58'is closed with respect to the outlet-19 of Fi ure 6. V The drip from the pump 22, therefor ey cannot run down into'the space formerly occupied by the tank or drawer 17 and foulthe bottom'portion of the cabinet-. Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: V

31. In a shower bath, a cabinet, a removable tank in'the cabinet, a bathing place in the cabinet and discharging into the tank, j a:

pump inthe tank and discharging into the bathing place, means for raising the pump out of the tank to permit the tank to be re moved, and means for returning the drip directly from the pump to the bathing place when the pump israised and the tank re moved.

2. In a shower bath, a cabinet, a removable tank in the cabinet, a bathing place in the cabinet and discharging into the tank, a pump in the tank and discharging intothe bathing place, means for raising the pump out of the tank to permit the tank to be removed, and a drip trough slidable on the cabinet to a position beneath the pump, when the pump is raised, the drip trough discharging into the bathing place.

3. In a shower bath, a cabinet, a removable tank in the cabinet, a bathing place in the cabinet, the bathing place discharging into the tank,apump in the tank and discharging nto the bathing place, a member movably 4 1 nazasse operatingmeehanism connecting; the pump: with thepmotor, said" mechanism comprisingv drivingyparts located, respectively, on the cabinet: and on said member, said. p arts being, 8 separable When said member is raised, theretodisconnect: said mechanism from the motor, and to stop the operation of thepump when the pump is raised.

4; In a shower bath, a cabinet, a removable m tank inlthe cabinet, aabat-hing place in the cabinet and having an outlet discharging into the tank, a movable stopper for the outlet,,means under. the control of an operator for: holding the tank in the cabinet, and mechanism forconnecting said means to the stopper, thereby to-close the stopper when said means is moved to a position Which will permit the removal of thetank.

5; In a shower-bath, a cabinet, a removable tank in the cabinet, a bathing place in the cabinet and having an outlet discharging into the tank, amovable stopper for the outlet, means underthe control of an operator for holding the tank in the cabinet, mechanism for connecting said means with the stopper to move, the stopper to open position when said means is moved to a position, which Will permit the removal of the tank, a pump in the tank, the pump discharging into the bath 3 ingplace, means for raising the pump to permit a removal of the tank, and a drip trough slidable on the cabinet to at position beneath the pump When the pump is raised, the drip trough discharging into the bathing place, a :1 portion of said mechanism engaging releasably With a portion of the drip troughto hold j the drip trough, beneath the pump.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aiiiXed my signature.

HOWARD CLAYTON YVOOLWINE. 

